Over the weekend, Glenn Greenwald – the columnist for "The Guardian" who is largely credited with breaking the story surrounding Snowden, and his leaked info on government agencies use of secret data-mining programs – appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," taking issue with some of David Gregory's questions.

"Edward Snowden has said, 'I've committed a serious crime,' the newspaper has put this out there," noted Piers Morgan. "Surely he [Greenwald] should be prepared to answer questions about whether anything they have done – in cahoots with this guy, we don't know how far he goes – anything they've done borders on criminality. I think it's a perfectly reasonable question."

Dershowitz, for his part, insisted there is no gray area:

"Well, it doesn't border on criminality – it's right in the heartland of criminality. The statute itself, does punish the publication of classified material, if you know that it's classified," explained the guest. "Greenwald – in my view – clearly has committed a felony."

Continuing his assessment of the reporter, Dershowitz held little back:

"Greenwald's a total phony. He is anti-American, he loves tyrannical regimes, and he did this because he hates America. This had nothing to do with publicizing information."

Allred, meanwhile, questioned Greenwald's concern with Gregory's question, and moreover, wondered if "The Guardian" columnist may need to rework his business card:

"It's bizarre that he's really upset that that question is being asked. It's an obvious question," she said. "I wouldn't necessarily call Mr. Greenwald a journalist – I would think of a journalist as someone who is neutral. I see Mr. Greenwald as more of an advocate, defending his source, almost acting as a lawyer."

soundoff(81 Responses)

Hat's Off to you, Piers Morgan for defending Glenn Greenwald tonight. Although I don't always agree with everything that Glenn says or writes, I do support his rights as a journalist to express himself.

Glenn has never behaved in anyway of which I am aware that would lead me to view him as anti-American. I haven't seen any evidence indicating that Glenn loves tyrannical regimes as claimed by Dershowitz. I do not support Dershowitz' statement: "....and he (Glen Greenwald ) did this because he hates America. " Glen Greenwald has done nothing to indicate that " he hates America. "

Glenn Greenwald should not be immune from answering other journalist's questions. Currently I do not understand why Greenwald takes umbrage toward answering that question. In my opinion he should answer it.

I used to have a great deal of respect for Glenn Greenwald because of his stance in the Bradley Manning case, but since he stated that the murder of Drummer Lee Rigbey on the streets of London was legitimate because he was a soldier (and in th eyes of people like him any soldier of western troops is a legitimate target anywhere and anytime because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) I have only contempt for him.

Gleen Greenwald is a very depraved individual and not only anti-american but anti-western like the majority of his left-wing compratriots.

assuming that you reflected greewald's thoughts accurately, why is an muslim youth of military age, WHO IS NOT IN A MILITIA ALTHOUGH OR KNOW TO HAVE EVER COMMITTED A MILITARY ACTION, a legitimate target for US drones anywhere in the world but a british person who is ACTUALLY IN THE MIILITARY not a legimate target? This is NOT a rehtorical question. Please provide an answer.

Dershowitz is a coward and shill for the power structure. Greenwald hates America for exposing the government's tyranny? What utter nonsense.

CNN is a pathetic excuse for media, and the hunt for Snowden is just a worthless distraction from the fact that the government is now above the law.

And my God, I have always Dershowitz for his disgusting hatred of the Arab world and his fawning over Israeli bombings of civilians, but he has reached a new low.

And as for the question, Greenwald was right to be furious. Criminalizing journalism and assassinating a journalist's character are obvious tools used by the power structure to suppress dissent. And as usual, Dershowitz proves himself to be a tool by aiding and abetting the Obama administration's war on journalism.

What about the government's crimes? of course pathetic Dershowitz will defend those crimes to the death, and the crimes of the Western military that he loves so much. He is a hypocrite and a sociopath with no humanity or empathy.

Well, there's in depth analysis for you: "greenwald did this because he hates America"? Seriously? That's it? Not that Derschowitz has any credibility – but I can get that analysis from a 7 year old. Good god CNN – why bother with Deschowitz? Could you get someone with some serious and thoughtful analysis and not just a right of center hack with a facile sound bite?

Dershowitz would not hire ME to defend him. That said, Dershowitz has taken some very courageous, even radical INDEPENDENT points of view in the past. Sometimes they were so radical that the press even refused to put him back on TV. The most interesting example is Dershowitz's defense of so-called "torture warrants" in which a Federal judge would sign a warrant permitting torture of a non-convicted defendant (or terrorist if you prefer).

Dershowitz is pretty unpredictable, for sure. Whether you love him or hate him (as you apparently do), you have to admit that he is absolutely independent in both his thinking and analysis.

A patriot loves his country and is willing to face its failings in order to make it better. A nationalist defends his country even when it does the indefensible. Greenwald is a patriot.

As for the question Greggory posed Greenwald, it was of the "when did you stop beating your wife" variety. So Piers - when did you stop dating prepubescent boys? Oh you're ticked by the form of the question? I wonder why? /sarcasm

A nationalist defends his country even when it does the indefensible." That is an extremely narrow and factually incorrect statement on nationalism. It assumes all nationalists are on the same page with Nazism, Fascism, etc. The MSM would love for you to believe this, as the biggest threats to globalists and Social Marxists is republican (small "r," not adherents to some party) such as The Texas Nationalist Movement. http://texnat.org/
Nationalism and patriotism are not mutually exclusive, as infothugs like Alan Dershowitz, Gloria Allred, and David Gregory would have you believe.

Glenn could have responded to Gregory, if he were not such a gentleman: "The 1974 Church hearings showed that most important media figures were in league with the CIA. David, what exactly are your relations with the CIA, and the NSA, for that matter?"

LOL. Anyone who says this with a serious face needs to be ridiculed into obscurity. Is there seriously any self-respecting, even slightly intelligent adult who does anything other than burst out in laughter at such a pathetic attempt at smearing someone?

I find it ironically amusing that Candidate "Jeckyl" Obama would seem to be arguing on Greenwald's side, while President "Hyde" Obama wants nothing more than to be able to persecute the press and whistleblowers with impunity.

As for Dershowitz and Allred, Samuel Johnson and Ambrose Bierce had their numbers.

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."
- Samuel Johnson

"In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first."
- Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_

None of those three would know a real journalist if they saw one. There certainly were no real journalists present in their little smear group. Yes, journalists are supposed to be neutral – not shills for the State.

The always snarling Dershowitz peddling his brand of Fascism as 'Americana.' How even Harvard can put up with this Likudist is beyond me. Allred, the 'House Trotskyite,' should just stick to being a Hollywood 'Judge' and leave the matters of Liberty to those who actually LIKE the notion.

Greenwald plays the piano on only one key....criticize the powers that be! He has no respect for anyone else's opinion but his own and would do all manner of things to bring himself to the forefront. He is egotistical, thinks nobody knows anything but him, and would be a dictator if he could. Allred got it right...he is no journalist because he is not neutral...a real journalist makes at least a concerted effort to be fair.

Where did you get the silly idea that it is ever a virtue to be amoral? That it is wise to give equal respect to both good and evil? That not having a principled opinion is the height of sophistication?

wrong! a journalist is not necessarily neutral. as in journalists who write opinion columns. as to being fair, like beauty, that's in the eye of the beholder. and, actually, greenwald goes out of his way to be fair.

Here is the translation: Leakers and publishers when there is a Republican in the White House = Heroes. (Deep Throat, Woodward, & Nixon) Leakers and publishers when there is a Democrat in the White House = Traitors. (current situation)
BTW, Nixon had some guys break into the DNC offices to record their conversations, Obama is recording everyone's conversations.

My question is, what did Snowden leak that wasn't already known? Everyone in the world with half a clue should have known that the NSA and other three letter agencies were doing this and more. There's really nothing new here. Countless people have leaked what has been done for decades. Some prosecuted, some not. What's new is that the mainstream media picked up on it and put it in the face of the american public instead of burying it so deep that the only people who would notice would be Alex Jones and various other konspiracy kooks.

It appears that the offense in this case was alerting the clueless american public who when at any time were confronted with the truth just called the messenger names like 'conspiracy theorist' and 'tin foil hat wearer'. So now we have all these regime serving media figures coming out to try and get Mr. and Mrs. Applepie to go back to sleep. Nothing to see here, move along, the guy is a 'traitor to america', the journalist 'hates america' and so on and so forth until the ignorant masses go back to sleep.

It's been rather amusing these last few months. I am wondering what decades old 'conspiracy theory' will be brought before the american public as 'conspiracy fact' next. 2013 has been a good year for konspiracy kooks thus far.

Most Americans are ambivalent about Snowden. At best, he was a person who wanted to limit the ability of big Government to intrude into our personal rights. At worst, he is a grandiose, poorly educated, self-serving snot who thinks that only HE has the knowledge and power to fix the US.

He told China that the US spied on them. HA! Both countries have been spying on each other forever. But by saying this, Snowden hoped to curry favors with China. It's a little like saying the ocean is wet.

Whether you love or hate Snowden, everyone would agree that you could never trust him.

Is this some sort of a joke? I wouldn't hire dershowitz to represent a donkey....his analysis was simply astounding. Our news media has completely been bought out by the wealthy...it no longer represents what we consider as being neutral news...

Right Alan,
And if we criticize Israel, we hate Jews.
Your line is old, it was old when you first started spewing it and it is as old and tired as you are now.
How about doing some humanitarian work in Gaza and leave the heavy thinking to others.

Dershowitz is on the Payroll– that's why he says this stuff. This is all part of the attempt to discredit Greenwald and, by extension, Snowden. And if you don't believe they have highly orchestrated plans to discredit people, read this piece in the nation about Barrett Brown– it's horrendous what these intelligence agencies do:

he, like many americans, hates the america
of now;
over 46 million people on foodstamps.
22 vets committing suicide daily.
bankers, still on a roll.
the politico/defence/ penal /swat/ taser life.
homeless the new norm for too many.
protest prohibited.
the press, indifferent to justice.
many hate where this is going.
around the clock surveillence, both visual and digital. cctv s everywhere.
licence plate scanners....one may as well be wearing electronic tracking.
there used to be a better america.

Really, Dersch? Your one and only love is israel. For you, the US is just Israel's beeyatch. you have no problem with terrorism if it comes from isreal (as in you beloved mehr Kahane) You are the last person to give a damn about the American people. You phony.

I don't trust Dershowitz to know what "America" means in any deep way ( besides a lot of money to him and media appearances ). Not even the United States, just "hates America"?

I think people are sick and tired of the elites on both sides using such simplistic drivel (to the poster above me: great expression!) to justify their illegal actions. Even if nothing happens now–I'm a bit taken aback they apparently also believe that history will give them a pass.

Oh are we the most moral nation on earth too? Maybe we're right behind Israel? Maybe any attempt by members of the public to think critically should be just stifled too huh? We should just trust flunkies who aren't even willing to think through their propaganda? Maybe, maybe not! ;)

Alan is only interested in himself. If he was a Greek, he would be all up in your grill about Greek issues. His identification with issues is directly related not to their philosophical interest, but only the degree to which it affects or can aggrandize him. Ego gone mad.

Oh I see Alan Dershowitz is still a shill for the power structure. Dershowitz who supports torture, spying on American citizens, illegal rendition, and just about any other fascist technique you can think of.

Dershowitz is the guy who helped get OJ off, so that shows what kind of person he is. Plus he's like 90 years old. Don't you think it's about time to retire Alan?

Dershowitz hates Greenwald less because Glenn hates America (which he so obviously doesn't) than because he has the audacity to criticize aspects of America's relationship with Israel. To Dershowitz, simply questioning that relationship is un-American and anti-Semitic. Because Greenwald isn't the blind, Israel-first tool that Dershowitz is, Big Al goes on the air to, predictably, smear one of the few journalists with the balls to take on the political establishment, in which Dershowitz is at the very center.

Good job Mr.Greenwald. Your comments are absolutely correct, I admire your great coverage of the Snowden story,manning, and all involved/ included in this coverage.you are an excellent writer/journalist.i look forward to more from you.yes, manning did the work of journalists exposing what's not right. Good job.Good interview on CNN.

Since Glenn has been hired as a journalist, and is being paid to write journalism for a daily published news journal organization for which he produces nearly daily .... that pretty much meets the definition of "journalist".

Glenn also has training and experience as a top notch lawyer. Most likely Glenn has angered Alan somehow b/c Glenn is widely famous in legal circles for having immensely supurb and successful legal skills, talent, and prowress.

Sadly, I enjoy Alan and his work, but have to say this comment was very pitifully immature. Glenn's job is to report the US NSA crimes as proven by specialists (Snowden, Wikileaks international lawyers writers etc.). Glenn reports the facts given to him very well. if Glenn was acting as his lawyer, clearly he would also include as many attacks as possible to harm the "prosecution" (corrupt USA govt criminals) - but he only reports the facts.

Sorry, Alan. Your comment about Glenn was unfounded. It actually made you look like a jeaulous child seeking revenge ... not the brilliant intellect you've more than not shown yourself to be. Grow up, darlin'.

Ah yes, the always snarling Dershowitz. What was Harvard thinking by giving this biased cretin tenure? "He (Greenwald) hates America." That is something I would expect from establishment boot-lickers like Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, or Bob Schieffer. Dershowitz is a renowned boot-licker for Tel Aviv, but wouldn't that also mean he, too, "hates America?" And NO, Alan, Israel and America are NOT joined at the hip as you and your fellow Likuds insist. NO, we do NOT 'share' a common goal. No one I know wants to "share" an Israeli lifestyle which is a fascist police state in constant lock-down and strives to make eternal enemies with both its neighbors and the rest of the world. I know that's what YOU want, and I would urge you to immigrate to Israel (Please) as quickly as you can board the next flight out. But, of course, someone has to stay behind to make sure the 'goyim' ante up the cash needed to breath life into your Zionist paradise, right? As for Greenwald, you couldn't carry his water, bucko. His actions embody the veritable meaning of the word 'Patriot,' while you embody everything that is wrong with America.

Post a comment

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.